Memories of Mao
Sir: Murray Sayle might have been able to sum up this year's harvest in China from a train window (27 November), but one must assume that his view of Tien An Min square in Peking was from the city's underground train system; otherwise he would know that the Maosoleum still opens regularly at cer- tain hours, on certain days, and that the shuffling crowds, which mostly appear to be composed of school groups, or com- mune members on a day trip, are very much in evidence on these occasions, filling a large area of a very large square. As a tourist guide, it is part of my job to pay several visits a year to the Maosoleum, and whether Mao is a discredited figure or not, the Chinese guides are never slow to suggest a visit if the group has a few hours to spare. As for the Chairman's current physical condition, many a tourist after a three-week jaunt around China at the height of sum- mer looks considerably worse.
Christopher Knowles
106 Clarence Gate Gardens,
London NWI
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